Did I See a Dolphin?

Yesterday morning started out with John, Betty, & Gordy all seeing dolphins from our balconies as I was in the shower!!! So I am officially now the only one who has not seen one in the ocean yet :(  The day was pretty overcast so I decided to do a few hours of office work while John & Gordy went to practice their golf swings.

Gordy & I ran some errands and then stopped in at Marineland which is about a mile north of our condo. Marineland originally opened up in 1938 as Marine Studios, a facility designed for Hollywood film makers to create underwater footage for their movies.  From that it involved into a very popular dolphin show attraction for about 50 years.  But the other Florida theme parks took its toll on Marineland and their dolphin jumping-thru-the-hoop type shows ended.  In 2006, it became Marinelands Dolphin Conservation Center, which studies the behaviour of dolphins, while also educating the public and offering hands-on programs.  It is a 1.3 million gallon facility and the home to 9 adult dolphins and 3 calfs. 

The dolphins loved to play with their trainers and dance, wave, and show off for us. They are so adorable! 



Betty (yes, her name is really Betty)
40 years old



Betty and her daughter, Dazzle





This is Nellie, age 58.  Nellie was star of the famous 1971 Timex Watch commercial- "It takes a licking, and keeps on ticking."
She is the oldest dolphin born in human care anywhere in the world, born 2/27/53.

We throughly enjoyed our afternoon at Marineland, and plan on taking Karen, Colin, and Blake there when they come to visit next week.  So although I didn't see a dolphin yet in the ocean, I did get to see some really awesome ones at Marineland!

 Now doesn't this picture look like we're in some fancy restaurant with fancy food?  It's actually at John & Betty's with the best Chicken Pot Pie I have ever tasted!  Betty went all out making these from scratch and they were as delicious as they were pretty.  A good way to end the day.